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Philip Boncardo

2010, Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours, University of Sydney)

2008, Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours, University of Sydney)

Called to the bar 2017

Philip’s principal areas of practice include employment and industrial law, administrative and public law, criminal and work health and safety. He also accepts briefs in general equity, commercial, family law, care and protection and professional disciplinary matters.

Philip has appeared in courts and tribunals throughout Australia. He has conducted appeals unled in the Full Federal Court and before the New South Wales Court of Appeal and Court of Criminal Appeal. He has also appeared before the High Court in Helensburgh Coal Pty Ltd v Bartley (2025) 424 ALR 1, Qantas Airways Limited v TWU (2023) 278 CLR 571 and ABCC v Pattinson (2022) 274 CLR 450.

Philip was one of the counsel for Antoinette Lattouf in her successful unlawful termination case against the ABC and was junior counsel for the Transport Workers’ Union of Australia at all stages of the TWU v Qantas litigation.

Prior to coming to the Bar, Philip worked as the tipstaff to the Honourable Justice Paul Brereton AM RFD. He was admitted as a solicitor in 2012. He worked as a solicitor for Campbell Paton & Taylor in Orange in a generalist practice before working as a National Legal Officer for the CFMEU.

Philip holds a Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours and a Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours from the University of Sydney. He obtained prizes for first place in Labour Law and received the Ludlow’s Award in 2016 for achieving first place in the New South Wales Bar Association Exam in February 2016.

Practice Areas

Administrative and Public Law

Commercial

Criminal Law

Employment and Industrial Relations

Equity

Family Law

Professional Disciplinary

Experience

2015-2017, National Legal Officer, Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU)

2012-2015, Solicitor, Campbell, Paton and Taylor, Orange NSW

2011, Tipstaff, the Honourable Justice Brereton, NSW Supreme Court

Accolades

February 2016, Ludlow’s Award for achieving first place in the NSW Bar Association Bar Exam

2010, Harmers Workplace Lawyers Prize for Labour Law

2010, Sir Alexander Beattie Prize for Industrial Law

Professional Appointments and Memberships

Member, NSW Bar Association

Admissions

2017, Called to the NSW Bar

2012, Admitted as a solicitor of the NSW Supreme Court

Selected Cases

High Court matters

Helensburgh Coal Pty Ltd v Bartley (2025) 424 ALR 1 (for the respondents, led by Justin Gleeson SC)
Qantas Airways Limited v TWU (2023) 278 CLR 571 (for the respondents, led by Noel Hutley SC and Gibian SC and with Tran)
ABCC Pattinson (2022) 274 CLR 450 (for the respondents, led by Rachel Doyle SC)

Administrative and public law

AOC19 v Minister for Immigation [2020] FCCA 1621 (for the applicant against Kay-Hoyle)
ECC19 v Mininster for Immigration [2021] FCCA 589 (for the applicant against Liu)
Angel Flight Australia v CASA [2021] FCA 469 (for the respondent led by Bret Walker SC against Hanks QC)
Petch v DPP (NSW) [2022] NSWCA 33 (led by Kell SC for the DPP)
Bobrenitsky v Sydney Trains (2023) 298 FCR 34 (for the applicant led by Gibian SC)
CFMEU v Australian Industry Group (2025) 314 FCR 187
BHP Coal Pty Ltd v MEU [2025] FCAFC 194 (led by Lenehan SC with Tran)
Hancock v DP World Pty Ltd [2024] FCA 116 (unled against Follet KC and McLean)

Appellate

Livingstone v Mitchell [2020] NSWSC 1464 (unled for the appellant)
CFMMEU v ABCC (The Bay Street Appeal) (2020) 384 ALR 668 (for the appellant led by Borestein QC)
Qantas Airways Ltd v FAAA (2020) 282 FCR 243 (led by Gibian SC) Qantas Airways Limited v TWU (2022) 292 FCR 34 (led by Noel Hutley SC and Gibian SC against Bret Walker SC, Prince and Oreb)
CFMMEU v OS MCAP Pty Ltd (2023) 297 FCR 323 (for the appellant led by Taylor SC)
CFMMEU v Quirk (2023) 300 FCR 170 (for the appellant led by Gibian SC)
CFMMEU v Fair Work Ombudsman (2023) 297 FCR 438 (for the appellants led by Borenstein QC)
Noorton Pty Ltd v CFMMEU [2025] FCAFC 120 (unled against Dalton KC and Ternovski)
Attard v Rutkowski [2023] NSWCA 314 (unled for the respondent)
Aurizon Operations Limited v ARTBIU [2024] NSWCA 24 (for the respondent led by M Gibian SC)
M&S Investments (NSW) Pty Ltd v Affordable Demolitions and Excavations Pty Ltd [2024] NSWCA 17 (unled for a respondent)
M&S Investments (NSW) Pty Ltd v Affordable Demolitions and Excavations Pty Ltd [2024] NSWCA 151 (unled for a respondent)

Industrial law

BGC POS Pty Ltd v CFMMEU (2019) 285 IR 43 (for the respondent led by Agius SC)
CFMMEU v ABCC (The Bay Street Appeal) (2020) 384 ALR 668 (for the appellant led by Borestein QC)
Qantas Airways Ltd v FAAA (2020) 282 FCR 243 (led by Gibian SC)
TWU v Qantas Airways Limited [2021] FCA 873 (for the applicant led by Gibian SC against Young QC, Dalton QC and Follett)
CFMMEU v ABCC (The Monash Freeway Widening Case) [2022] FCAFC 59 (unled for the appellant)
Secretary of the Department of Education v AEU (No 2) [2022] NSWSC 1365 (for the AEU led by Crawshaw SC against Taylor SC and Fagir)
Carovska, in the matter of an application for an inquiry in relation to an election [2023] FCA 1129
CEPU v ECA Training Pty Limited [2025] FCA 1260 (unled against Hatcher SC) Barber v Veolia Recycling and Recovery Pty Ltd [2025] FWCFB 141 (unled for the appellant)
Mining and Energy Union v Glencore Coal Assets Australia Pty Ltd [2025] FWCFB 107 (unled for the appellant)
TWU v Qantas Airways Limited (Penalty) [2025] FCA 971 (led by Noel Hutley SC)
Ayyub v Portier Pacific Pty Ltd [2026] FWCFB 81 (unled for the appellant)
Civil Air Operations Officers Association v Airservices Australia [2026] FWCFB 51
Lattouf v ABC (No 2) [2025] FCA 669
Lattouf v ABC (Penalty) [2025] FCA 1174
ABCC v CFMMEU & Ors [2021] HCATrans 115 (for the respondents led by Bret Walker SC against Bourke QC and Denton)
UFUA v UFUQ [2022] FCA 145 (for the respondent led by Dowling SC against Kenzie QC and Dixon)
Secretary of the Ministry of Health v NSW NMA [2022] NSWSC 1178 (unled for the respondent against Bulut)
Deliveroo Australia Pty Ltd v Diego Franco [2022] FWCFB 156 (for the respondent led by Gibian SC against Bourke QC and Felman QC)
Gupta v Portier Pacific Pty Ltd (2020) 296 IR 246 (for the appellant led by Gibian SC against Neil SC and Shariff SC)

Criminal and WHS

Attorney General v Ceerose Pty Ltd [2019] NSWCCA 35 (for the appellant led by J Agius SC)
Attorney General v Macmahon Mining Services Pty Ltd [2019] NSWCCA 8 (for the appellant led by Agius SC)
Blacktown City Council v Nitopi [2019] NSWLEC 40 (for the prosecutor in contempt proceedings)
Blacktown City Council v Nitopi (No 2) [2019] NSWLEC 118 (for the prosecutor on the question of moiety
R v Kennedy (2019) 101 NSWLR 121 (for the appellant led by Staehli SC)
R v Delzotto [2021] NSWDC 325 (for the defendant against Beckweg)
R v Watts [2020] ACTSC 91 (for the defendant led by Agius SC against Weston-Scheuber)
SafeWork NSW v JPS Car Wash Management Pty Ltd & Ors [2021] NSWDC 148 (unled for the prosecutor)
Musial v Penrith City Council [2022] NSWLEC 134 (unled for the respondent against Koikas)

Commercial

Aspect Safety Group Pty Limited v Swift [2022] FCA 904
Cutting Edge Services Pty Ltd v Penfold [2021] NSWSC 1322 (for the defendants led by Drummond against Peden SC and Mann)
Crosby v Hanley [2021] NSWSC 507
ALDI Foods Pty Limited v TWUA [2020] FCA 654 (for the respondent led by Gibian SC against Hatcher SC, Painter SC and Perigo)

Family Law

Tabor & Schell [2020] FamCA 529 (unled for the ICL)
O’Connor v Minister for Family and Community Services [2020] NSWDC 453 (unled for the ICL against Mahony)
Matson & Theiss [2019] FCCA 1924 (unled for the respondent against Jackson)